As part of our Employee Spotlight series, we are interviewing select employees to feature. We are excited to showcase and celebrate the accomplishments, skills, and contributions of our valued team members.
NAME: Patrick Poincot
POSITION: Truck Driver – GOCO Transports
Q: How did you get into truck driving, and what inspired you to pursue this career path?
A: I started driving trucks in 1993. I joined the military and that was actually one of the jobs that was available. That’s how I started driving trucks.
Q: How did you get introduced to your job at Gaubert Oil?
A: I came to Gaubert in 1999. I began working on an oil truck and in the warehouse, and from there I moved to bobtails. After that I made it to transport which I’ve been doing for 22 years now.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your role and working at Gaubert Oil?
A: I enjoy what I do. I like what I do. I get to drive. I’m not in an office. It’s just not my thing. I get to go to different places and do different things. I meet a lot of people and see a lot of different places.
Q: Can you share some of your most memorable experiences or challenges you’ve faced on the road?
A: One of my most memorable times was probably Hurricane Katrina. We’ve been through a lot of storms, but that one was bad. We were in and out of New Orleans and a lot of places that got hit hard. Just seeing the devastation and what a lot of the people were going through. And in a way, you kind of felt like you were helping, but you couldn’t help to see what it really did and the impact on people.
Q: How do you stay motivated during long hours on the road and manage fatigue or distractions?
A: We do work a lot of long hours and what we do is very volatile. So I guess that’s part of the motivation of keeping going for long hours. You just have to make sure you get a lot of rest. And this is not something you want to do when you’re tired.
Q: What role does effective communication play in your interactions with dispatchers, customers, and fellow truck drivers?
A: Effective communication is one of the most important things we have. With dispatch, we have limited amounts of time. So we get the right information. We get things done a lot more efficiently. The drivers are always communicating, because we’re always having to deal with new situations. So you may have one driver that’s done a particular run several times and they understand the finer points of that and it makes it again a lot more efficient when you already know a considerable amount about that particular situation.
Q: What advice or insights would you give to someone considering a career as a truck driver?
A: The only advice I can give somebody coming here is to bring your patience with you because it’s a lot of information to learn depending on what you do.
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your time away from work?
A: Some of the things I enjoy doing, I like shooting and working on guns. I like fishing, riding in boats, working on my boat. I like taking pictures.